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View Full Version : My dog has stomach problems, what should I feed him?


greentree30
Apr 23, 2013, 02:05 AM
I have a 5 and a half year old Pembroke Corgi, named JoJo. :-) We always fed him Nutro since he was a baby, until he started throwing up sometime late last year (fall 2012). Since we always fed him that it didn't click in our heads that it could be his food, so unfortunately he was throwing up for weeks before we figured out we should change his food. The vet put him on Royal Canine "Gastro Intestinal Low fat". Immediately he got much better. And he's been on that for months now. But he still throws up time to time (a few times a month, or maybe once a week). :-( And sometimes (even though he doesn't throw up) I can tell his stomach hurts because he scratches at the door to go eat a bunch of grass and clovers. We keep thinking he will completely get 100% better but it's been several months and obviously his stomach still isn't back to normal. Should we be worried?

I was talking to my friend about this and she asked what he use to eat (Nutro) and she said that it had been recalled sometime last year. We had no idea, and now we think that is why he got sick. Especially because one time we ran out of his new food and for a day we had to give him his old food and he threw up like crazy again. So obviously it's the old food that was bad. But why is his stomach still having problems? He hasn't had any Nutro for 3 or 4 months now.

Also my friend told me that there's much better dog food out there that's not available at Petsmart or Petco. She said you can find the best dog food brands at feed stores. Is this true? I looked this up and I saw that "Royal Canine" (what he eats now) has only 3 stars. So I'm thinking I should try a 6 star dog food. But there was so many listed I don't know which to try. Does it sound like the right dog food could fix his stomach issues?

He had a blood work and an X-ray and everything came back fine.

I'm going to list some 6 star foods and please give me any advice if you're familiar with them.

I got my information about which dog foods are the best at: Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com)
Is this an accurate site?
Thanks!

Here's some of the dog foods listed on the site that had 6 stars and they had great reviews on Amazon too:
Which should he try? Thanks!

Orijen Grain-Free Adult Formula Dry Dog Food


Wellness Grain-Free Dry Dog Food for Adult Dogs, CORE Original


Blue Buffalo Wilderness Grain Free Dry Dog Food, Salmon Recipe


Instinct Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, Chicken Meal Formula

joypulv
Apr 23, 2013, 02:26 AM
I would say that there's no 1 answer for every dog. Your dog may be allergic to a food or additive, and the way to tell is to try a good brand one at a time.
I have bought Wellness. I see that all your choices are grain free. That's a start.
Some people go to great lengths to make their own dog food, which can be done with the right research into what dogs need, vs people.

I have read that eating grass is not a sign of pain or upset stomach, necessarily. I eat a lot of broccoli, and give my dog a tiny portion on top of her kibble, and a little hamburg or chicken. Kibble is a processed food, no matter how fancy.

On a side note: Cheap dog foods are full of a lot of useless indigestible filler. I used to share a Golden with someone, a week with me and a week with him. He fed the dog cheap food and I had to deal with very large stools for 2-3 days. The good kibble I fed him produced half as much feces.

greentree30
Apr 23, 2013, 02:55 AM
I give my dog some veggies and a little plain chicken or egg here and there too. I'm not going to go to the point of making all his food though. I don't even make my own food half the time. I have back problems so standing in the kitchen too long really hurts my back. Even though cooking chicken and veggies doesn't take too long (and I do make that once or twice a week), it would get to my back to cook everyday.
So the best I can do is just get him the best dog food available. It sucks I thought I was already doing that. The 2 dog foods I've given him aren't cheap (they are about the same price as the 6 star dog foods). And I didn't think to question my breeder or vet. They both acted like the dog foods were top notch. Nutro did use to be a lot better, only within the last year did they completely change the ingredients (without saying anything) and a lot of dogs got sick from it. It sucks to find out I've been feeding him average or 3 star dog food.

greentree30
Apr 23, 2013, 03:06 AM
Some pics of JoJo as a puppy and older